Temp drop here in A Town. It may even become fall weather.

Wispy high cirrus clouds above as I back stroked this morning.

Tags: swim, weather
Current Mood: cool
Current Music: WFMU - Music to Spazz By with Dave the Spazz

Finally spring break!

Saturday I cleaned house, did laundry, deep watered front trees and sat on the front deck and finished The Bookseller of Kabul. Weather was clear and hot, 80ºF. No new video rentals so last night I watched Catwoman on satellite. Yes to cats and women.

Up early to a dark cloudy morning made even darker by DST. Back to working in studio. Small container of Galkyd Light had curdled. Cleaned that up laid out new paint on my circular palette and got back to two paintings. Yes to home computer and streaming music. Pledged another donation to WFMU. You can too.

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Going out to swim. Hope the lightning forecast won't be booming. On the way back will stop for two more dvds and some grocery shopping.

Tags: cleaning, dst, film, gardening, reading, swim, wfmu
Current Mood: good
Current Music: WFMU - 128k Version - Freeform Radio the Way it Oughta Be!! -

... to swim before going over to Sam's for communal eating.

Great clear and warm weather. Saw two coeds come from the pool in high spike heels and tiny bikini.

Checking email, not so much on weekend beside junk.
Varnished three final painting this morning and worked on two after reading about Jeff Wall in the NYTime Magazine.

Was at senior student show for about an hour yesterday along with talking to Bale in his gallery and sipping great tequila. About six former students of mine in the show which was heavy on painting, and photography. Some sculpture and only two intaglio prints. We are using an outside jury to cull through work after the faculty have nominating students.

Tags: senior show, studio, swim
Current Music: WFMU - Gaylord Fields

Tags: dan, film, painting, swim
Current Mood: chilly
Current Music: WFMU - Little Richard - I Need Love

Started off yesterday with a swim at 11AM. Clear and sunning then and today for a welcome change. After a day at school, dinner at HPB&G with Steve D. got home and watched the peculiar film Goto, l'île d'amour, Goto, Island of Love. Quite strange island culture completely cut off from the rest of the world. Photographed poetically in black and white through some kind of filter.

Back to painting this morning, four days off for studio. Later this evening going to Dan's to use his power saws to make four more panels for future paintings.

Looks like two or three opening tomorrow night. Bill W. at Davis Gallery, the second show in Okay Mountain's No American Talent and maybe something at The Donkey Show but nothing listed on their website.

Tags: art openings, film, painting, studio, swim, weather
Current Mood: well
Current Music: WFMU - Roy Head - Just a Little Bit

Two foundation meetings at school today, then a good number of swim laps. On the way home I stopped and rented four more films. It's two for tuesday. Tonight I just finished watching Kurosawa's Shizukanaru ketto, The Quiet Duel. A doctor during war time is infected with syphilis while operating on an injured soldier. After the war he tries to break off an engagement with a fiancée is still loves. Quite sad and moving movie.

Open day for studio work tomorrow, then more meetings thursday and friday. For joy...

Tags: film, foundations, school, swim
Current Mood: here
Current Music: WFMU - he Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling

I watched a wonderful film last night, Yi Yi (A One and a Two). Like a soap opera except the characters seemed to have a life full of its real problems. Beautiful photography in gorgeous color. My only problem was keeping up with who was saying what, with sub titles, and the usual western problem of differentiating Asians.

When I got up, rain had stopped for now, the moon was just past full and the sky clear before sunrise.

Fun swim yesterday late afternoon. Pool is warm and never crowded when it is cold, cloudy and rainy.

Tree guys will be back soon to hopefully finish up. Time for studio work until I go to campus to meet with EC and schedule some travel stuff.

Tags: film, swim, trees, weather
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: WFMU - Tony Coulter's show (web only)

When I was young in junior and senior high, I could walk to the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado from our home in Pasadena and spend the night of new years eve camping out, reserving some front row seats on the curb for the Rose Parade the next morning.

Now, much older and in Austin, I've taken a Polar Bear swim New Year's morning. I got a perfect parking place right next to the entrance, a good omen. Potluck foods and coffee inside the gate. At 11AM the air was a crisp 42ºF, a bright cloud less sky and a slight breeze. The water was it's usual warmer 68ºF. Swam the length four times for a good half mile. Out of the water and boy was the air cold. Towel and white polar bear sweatshirt cut the cold. Good community of people in a friendly mood. This picture is from last years event.

Afterwards stopped for another coffee, my internal thermo said "cold", and spent time looking and reading at Border's Bookstore. Got home and took a hike through what is called Independence Park near me that is getting turned from a green belt with giant excavation into a housing project filled with what they call Bungalows . Our neighborhood association had fought off plans for large condo and rentals, but these will all be single family, at least to start. I'll bet they will be very close together with very little yards if it is anything like the other projects around this part of town.

Tags: barton, construction, polar bear, rose parade, swim
Current Mood: OK
Current Music: WFMU - The Speakeasy with Dorian

Tomorrow is winter solstice. The sun sits still.

That means Winter begins at 6:30PM tomorrow. Hurray, the daylight will get longer and the nights shorter for the next 6 months!

I've liked to try and swim at Barton on the first day of winter but it won't be open until Saturday the 23. I'm aiming for a cold dip on Christmas Day. Want to join me?

Tags: barton, solstice, swim, winter
Current Mood: cool
Current Music: WFMU - Todd-o-phonic Todd - fills in for Erwin

It was below freezing here when I woke up this morning after sunrise. So I decided not to work in my studio in the morning and to go swimming in a heated pool instead. Before that I did clean house which was mostly sweeping and vacuuming. Water at aquatic center was steaming before noon. Upped my swim time to 45 minutes from 30 since I missed out on sunday because of clouds, wind and chill.

WFMU has a one minute marathon this coming wednesday. Listen up, then send money.

Demolition of the north end of the UT DK Memorial stadium is scheduled for this friday, that will be exciting, maybe. Looking at the plans it is difficult to see how this is going to work in the end across from the art building.

Tags: stadium, studio, swim, weather, wfmu
Current Mood: okay
Current Music: WFMU - Irene Trudel's show